Real Madrid will have to start young center back Eder Militao in Friday’s Champions League clash, but the defender is high on confidence.
Not only did Real Madrid lose the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash 2-1 at home to Manchester City, but they also lost captain and world-class center back Sergio Ramos to a red card. He won’t be available in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, meaning Eder Militao will start alongside Raphael Varane.
The last time Varane and Militao started a big Champions League game together with Ramos suspended, Los Blancos lost 3-0 to PSG at the Parc des Princes to a team playing without Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
But that Real team is completely different from the team that will travel to Manchester this week. This Real Madrid team are the 34th La Liga champions, owning clean sheets over all of La Liga’s best sides. The team that lost to PSG was more like the disastrous 2018-2019 side, whereas this Real team is capable of a Remontada against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Militao is definitely a huge part of the team’s success, even as a backup. He’s come up big time after time, including in a recent 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.
More importantly, Militao is a man ready for the responsibility and the spotlight. His performances, with his intelligent defending and calm demeanor playing out of the back, clearly show it. And he’s got plenty of Champions League experience with FC Porto.
But it was especially striking to see Militao make a bold prediction. He’s heading into this game with such a great mentality that he envisions himself scoring the winning goal to beat Manchester City. Now THAT would be filling the shoes of the legendary captain, indeed!
Here’s the quote from an interview with AS:
"“I can imagine it now, in the Champions League, in Manchester. The winning goal, with a header. But I wouldn’t know how to celebrate it… Nothing is impossible, so I’m going to go for it.”"
“Nothing is impossible” is a valid quote, but it’s also quite conceivable to see Militao writing his own fairytale story. From Marco Asensio scoring with his first touch back from a torn ACL to Mariano Diaz scoring within seconds upon being substituted into El Clasico, this season has been like a dream for many Real Madrid players.
Militao has all the tools. Manchester City can’t breathe a sigh of relief at Sergio Ramos not being in the lineup, because the 22-year-old Brazilian center back can be the one to provide the memorable moment for a Real victory. It’s wonderful to hear the positive mentality and confidence he has as a young defender.